Ore classifier



y 1929' Wpa ENDREZZE 1, 14,007

ORE GLAS S IFIER Filed Sept. 17, 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 1 Inventor Attorneyy 1, 1929. w. E; ENDRE ZZE 1,714,007

ORE CLASSIFIER FilecLSept. 17, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor 14 ttornqyPatented May 21, 1929.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM EUGENE nnnnnzzn, or BUTTE, MONTANA.

on: cLAssrrInn.

' Application filed September 17, 1927. Serial No. 220,122.

This invention appertains toore classifiers and has for its prime objectto generally improve upon similar structures now well known in the artto provide a more efficient and reliable operation in the. separatingand classifying of materials which have different settling rates inliquid, whether such difference is caused by a variation in the specificgravity of the particles, as in the concentration of ores, or in thesize of the particles when homogeneous as in the separation of sand andslimes.

The apparatus, however, is exemplified in the present application asbeing designed 5 particularly for classifying the sands and slimes inwet crushed pulp for cyaniding and for convenience it will be assumed inthe followi description that the pulp is being treate for that purpose.

A further important object of the invention resides in the provision ofan ore classifier of this nature which is particularly simple in itsconstruction, not likely to easily become out of order when inoperation, and otherwise well adapted to the purpose for which it isdesigned.

" With the above and numerous other objects in view as will appear asthe description proceeds, the invention resides in cerao tain novelfeatures of construction, and in the combination and arrangement'ofparts as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawing Figure 1 is a side elevation of an ore classifierembodying the features-of my invention,

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof,

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section 4.0 taken substantially on theline 3-3 of Figure 1 Figure 4 is a top plan view with the conveyorremoved,

Figure 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken substantially on theline 55 of Figure 4,

Figure 6 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the inventionshowing a double trough with the conveyors removed,

Figure 7 is a vertical transverse section therethrough takensubstantially on the line 77 of Figure 6, and,

gated trough which is disposed at an incline, being suitably mounted ina frame supporting structure 6 which is also inclined, one end of whichmay reston the,

ground and the other end of which may be supported in elevation by astandard structure 7, or in any other suitable manner.

On the upperedge of the lower end wall and the adjacent side walls thereis provided a launder structure 8 for receiving slimes, the sidebranches of this launder structure being particularly well illustratedin Figure 4, and in one corner thereof is a drain or outlet pipe 9.Intermediate the ends of the bottom of the trough forming tank 5 thereis an oblong opening 10 covered by screening or other foraminous sheetmaterial 11. A box-like casing 12 is supported below the opening 10 andthe screen 11 and has nipples 13 and 14 depending therefrom in alternaterelationship to feed air and water thereto respectively. An outlet 15dependsfrom the upper end of :the bottom. A shaft 16 is journaledlongitudinally in the troughforming tank 5 through the upper and lowerwalls thereof, the lower end being journaled in a bearing structure 17mounted on a cross member 18 of the frame 6, while the upper end of theshaft is journaled in a bearing 19 'on the cross member 20 of the framestructure 6. A beveled gear 21 is mounted on the shaft 16 adjacent thebearing 17 and meshes with a beveled pinion 22 operatively connectedwith a. pulley 23 which may be belt or otherwise driven for setting uprotation to the shaft 16. A spiral conveyor and agitating structure 24is formed coaxially on the shaft 16 so that the major portion thereof iscompletely submerged when-the tank is filled as much as possible withthe fluid.

The embodiment'of the invention .shown in Figures 6, 7 and 8 ispractically identical with that just described, except that the bottomof the articular tank 5 illustrated in these figures 1s transverselycurved to protherein. This spiral rotating within the classifier tankacts upon settled sands at the vbottom of the trough or troughs andconveys said sands forwardly and upwardly along the inclined bottom orbottoms of the trough or troughs, and to a chute or outlet where thesands are dumped. While this action is taking place, the slimes thathave been separated from the sands flow out of the classifier tank atthe lower end into the side and back launder structures for conveyingoff the slime to suitable receptacles or the like. Classification isobtained by the action of water upon the slimes and by action of gravityupon the sands and coarser particles, the difference of settling rate ofparticles contained within the tank. The sand is agitated and washed bythe admixture of the air and water through the box structure 12 and thescreening 11.

A classifier tank embodying these features enables the lower end of thespiral conveyor to be completely submerged. This allows the depth of thesettling tank to be increased considerably over, analo ous structuresand the increasing of the dept of the settling tank allows the particlesof Y crushed pulp and ore varying in size and settling rate to taketheir position at a certain level within the tank. This increasing ofthe depth of the tank also allows of a larger tonnage to be handled bythe same size classifier. This structure also provides a more denseoverflow of slime, particularly because of the increased capacity andthe submerging of the spiral completel allows the slimes to leave thetank more reely, it being noted that the spiral does not disturb theaction of classification in the upper stratum of the bath. Thesubmerging of the lower end of the spiral conve or washes the flightsfree of any sands t at have adhered to them. This feature of submergingthe spiral conveyor also prevents any sand or coarse particles fromgetting liquid above the spiral, these sands have absolutely no chanceto go into the overflow and' destroy the results of classification andthis is pointed out as a very vital feature of this invention. Thiselimination of the tendency of the sands to mix with the overflow allowsthe machine to be fed more heavily without destroying itsclassification, and allows the level of the pulp to be above the spiralwhich permits the side launders to be placed at a very convenient andeffective position for receiving the slimes discharged from the tank.These side launders tend to spread the slimes flowing out of the tank ata greater area thereby reducing the tendency to form a current towardthe back end of the tank. This type of tank allows the feed to beadmitted at a more convenient position and allows of a more effectivecontrol of the pulp for the classification of slimes and sands containedtherein.

It is thought that the construction, operation, utility, and advantagesof the invention will now be clearly understood by those skilled in thisart without a more detailed description thereof. The present embodimentsof the invention have been disclosed in detail merely by way of examplesince in actual practice they attain the features of advantageenumerated as desirable in the statement of the invention and the abovedescription.

It will be apparent that changes in the details of construction, and inthe combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing anyof its advantages.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new is 1. Anapparatus for classifying crushed ore comprising a stationary inclinedtrough through which the material to be separated moves, said troughbeing open at its top and formed with a transversely curved bottom, aspiral conveyor, means for journalling the spiral conveyorlongitudinally in the trough in substantial parallelism therewith, sothat the periphery of said spiral will operate in close relation withthe bottom of the trough, a slime receiving launder structure across theend of the trough, and means for forcing liquid and air up through thebottom of said trough intermediate the ends thereof to separate theslimes from the sand contents, and means for discharging the settledsand from the trough.

2. An apparatus for classifying crushed ore comprising a stationaryinclined trough through which the materials tobe separated pass, saidtrough being open at its top and formed with a transversely curvedbottom, a spiral conveyor, means for journaling the spiral conveyor lonitudinally in the trough in substantial para lelism therewith so thatthe periphery thereof will operate in close disposition with the curvedbottom thereof,

the top edges portion bein of said trough at its lower end g disposedlongitudinally to in- 6 crease the depth of the trough at this point, aweir constructed within the lower end of the trough through whi andprovided with an outlet oh the slimes from the tank flow,

and means for forcing liquid and air up through the bottom of saidtrough interme- 10 diate the ends of the same to separate the slimesfrom the sand content, and means for discharging the settled sand fromthe trough. In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM EUGENE ENDREZZE.

